The Citroen C4 Cactus crossover will kick off from $26,990 plus on-road costs when it finally arrives in Australia.

The unorthodox French soft-roader is at last slated to arrive in February next year after a delayed launch, brought about by the company having to change the rear child-seat top-tether to meet local homologation requirements.

The starting price — relatively sharp considering the level of equipment on offer — is for the 81kW/205Nm 1.2-litre turbo-petrol version with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Buyers wanting an automatic, however, have an option: a 68kW/230Nm 1.6-litre turbo-diesel with a six-speed semi-automatic self-shifter. This version also comes in at list below $30K, at $29,990.

All variants feature the novel plastic Airbumps on the doors to protect from shopping trolleys, along with a seven-inch touchscreen and wide sofa-style front seats.

You can have an almost endless series of colour combinations and various other permutations — ok, there’s 23,184. You can have different paint colours, airbumps, mirror shells, wheels etcetera, for extra cost. All of these can be pre-ordered before the end of the year.

Citroen Australia has already sold 25 per cent of its initial allocation, with the most popular being finished in aqua and bright yellow. This pair make up almost half of all pre-orders.

The Cactus will also bring with it Citroen’s leading six-year warranty, service and support program.

Citroen Australia general manager John Startari said the levels of specification and unique nature of the Cactus would prove a “compelling package” for people looking to stand apart from the crowd in the booming small SUV market.